Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3
Empowering Women, Families, and Youth since 1999

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” · Robert Swan Why is conservation critical? Host Diya asks us to imagine life without clean water or wildlife. Conservation is one of our strongest defenses against climate change. Forests, oceans, and wetlands absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, helping regulate Earth’s temperature. The food we eat depends on healthy soil, clean water, pollinators like bees, and stable weather pa

https://sites.libsyn.com/560220/the-impact-of-social-media On this episode of Express Yourself!, Hannah Sahota’s “Empowerment and Equality” segment explores the ever-changing relationship between social media, surveillance, and human dignity in the digital age. Using historical context, personal experience, political commentary, and social critique, the show traces the growth of social media from early internet communication systems to today’s hyperconnected platforms driven

MIRACLE MOMENT® “No matter what you’ve done for yourself or for humanity, if you can’t look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?” Lee Iacocca, Retired Automobile Executive Share A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN Because my parents loved each other and my four siblings deeply and unconditionally, I was one of the luckiest children in the world. We were raised on a farm, surrounded by land, animals, and a gi

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” · Nelson Mandela The poverty-ridden country of Malawi was devastated by AIDS. Host Julia Howe interviews the founder of Jacaranda Foundation, Marie da Silva, a Malawian education activist with a powerful personal story. Auntie Marie was working as a nanny in the US when she heard the local school was closing in the midst of the brutal AIDS epidemic in Malawi. Marie lost more than a dozen fa

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.” - Christian Lange Are voter rights under attack in the United States? In her segment, Empowerment and Equality, Express Yourself!™ radio host, Hannah Sahota, leads us through the history of American democracy, showcased through voting in elections. Voting is one of the most important rights in a democratic society because it is the fundamental tool that citizens can use to influence laws, elect leaders, and shape th

“Become an active citizen through your wardrobe.” Livia Firth Today we're not talking about a bill, a ballot measure, or a party platform. We're talking about your closet. The fashion industry generates 92 million tons of textile waste annually. Host Julia Howe and reporter Hanna Yu tackle the tragedy of fast fashion and its environmental impact. Hanna focuses on the philosophy of this conspicuous consumption. Whose fault is it? Julia talks about TikTok Shop. What makes TikT

Hosted by Hannah Sahota, this episode of Express Yourself! invites listeners into a thought-provoking exploration of how online rhetoric shapes the world we live in today. In her segment, “Empowerment and Equality,” Hannah breaks down how viral posts, influencers, and algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok and Instagram are no longer just sources of entertainment, but powerful forces that influence identity, consumer behavior, and social norms. Through engaging commentary and

MIRACLE MOMENT® “The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.” Chief Seattle A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN I grew up on a farm where being sustainable was a way of life. We were dry farmers, which meant that the fields were irrigated solely by the rainfall. Water was a precious commodity, and after many years, my dad and brothers built a reservoir to collect the precipitation. We recycled, reused, repurposed, remade. We saved seeds to plant the he

“We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.” Ray Bradbury Radio hosts Julia Howe and Saanvi Phaneendra take us to outer space via AI. Today, we are diving into one of the most exciting things happening in space exploration. Humanity is not just visiting other worlds; we are planning to live on them. And AI is right at the center of making that happen. NASA is not trying to repeat Apollo. The explicit goal is to go to the Moon and stay there, building up to a perma

"We choose to go to the Moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard." — President John F. Kennedy, 1962 Apollo planted a seed. Artemis is the tree. For the first time in over 50 years, humans are flying to the Moon. Not in a textbook. Not in a movie. Right now. NASA's Artemis program was officially established in 2017, named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology. Host Saanvi Phaneedra breaks down the Artemis mission into three segments in this broadcas

In this episode of Express Yourself! , host Hannah Sahota leads her segment “Empowerment and Equality” with a powerful and accessible conversation on cancer awareness, breaking down what cancer is, how it develops, and why early detection and prevention are critical. The segment explores key warning signs, screening methods, and lifestyle factors, while also highlighting the role of vaccines and environmental exposures in cancer risk, especially how systemic inequalities disp

In this episode, “When AI Takes Over Earth, Humanity Reaches for the Stars,” Saanvi Phaneendra explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and space exploration, and what it means for the future. As AI continues to transform industries such as coding, banking, and creative fields, she raises an important question: what role will humans play in an increasingly automated world? She emphasizes that uniquely human qualities like imagination, curiosity, and the drive to e

MIRACLE MOMENT® “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” Michelle Obama Thanks for reading StarStyle® Empowerment! This post is public, so feel free to share it. Share A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN Women are leading the change and shaping the future. The month of March is dedicated to honoring women’s contributions to history, society, and gender equality. Our country will be celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, yet women have had the priv

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." — William James What is stress, why do we experience it, and what can we do to relieve anxiety? Host Hannah Sahota and reporter Kirpa Gill tackle this complicated subject that affects everyone. There are three types of stress: acute, episodic, and chronic. The youth discuss techniques to overcome stress, including deep breathing and talking with a trusted person. Reducing and acknowledging

"You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself." — John Steinbeck According to the Stanford Medical Health Center, by including teens as full participants in self-care, they’re more likely to choose healthy behaviors during their lives. Hannah Sahota hosts this important program focusing on empathy and self-care with reporters Diya and Jatin. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is described as “The ability of individuals, families and

Mental health is a part of being human. We are not only our eyes, ears, voice, and body parts, but we are also our emotions. These emotions affect how we feel, react, and portray ourselves to the world. Kirpa hosts a program with reporters Milan and Jatin, with an open discussion defining mental health and how we define it to ourselves and to others. Educate yourself, create safe places, and choose kindness and empathy. No one should struggle alone. Follow us: https://www.s

Tune into the upbeat, positive lifestyle broadcast where producer and host Cynthia Brian showcases strategies for success on StarStyle® -Be the Star You Are!®. Available wherever you listen to your favorite programs! If you wear shoes in your house, you are bringing in bacteria, allergens, and dirt into your abode. Even if you clean on a regular basis, the soles of your shoes are filled with germs! Find out more! Do you share photos of your family or children online? This cou

“Cancer is just a chapter in our lives and not the whole story.” — Allie Moreno Host Keerthi begins the show with a bold and true statement: “ Teenagers are some of the most powerful people on the planet.” She believes that teens need to be involved in cancer advocacy. Cancer isn’t just a medical issue. It’s a human issue. It’s about funding research.It ’s about supporting families.It ’s about making sure treatments are accessible.It ’s about early detection.It ’s about menta

MIRACLE MOMENT® “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” Hamilton Wright Mabie (1846–1916). StarStyle® Empowerment is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/conspiracy-of-love A MESSAGE from Founder/Director, CYNTHIA BRIAN In the midst of winter, February is perceived as a bleak and boring month. However, February honors m

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt Are you confident in your abilities? Do you compare yourselves to others? Host Julia dives into the importance of confidence and reframes how to think about comparison. She interviews reporter Jatin, who shares how comparison negatively affects confidence. He talks about the effects of social media and AI. Reporter Milan then speaks with Julia about how our personal growth can be impacted when we compare ourselves with